The First Word: Simple Majority

On this day — the Senate prepares to pass a budget without a two-thirds vote as the House prepares to take up revenue generating measures; Democrats abandon budget deal as Ogden abandons plans to use ‘Rainy Day’ money to guarantee funding; a Texas link to the US military mission that killed Osama Bin Laden; “campus-carry” gets stuck in Legislative limbo as the Senate passes a bill that aims to end the Alamo saga; prominent Aggies are agitated by Gov. Rick Perry’s backing of Sandefer’s education reforms, another fight breaks out between Gene Powell and Sen. Judith Zaffirini; plus a profile of Ricardo Sanchez as rumors swirl he’s interested in running for the U.S. Senate.

They also said that bypassing the two-thirds tradition would impair their ability to represent their constituents as 12 members of the 31-member chamber and would change the way the normally collegial body operates.

“We were not sent down here to preserve the two-thirds rule. We were sent here to govern. The people of the state of Texas don’t give diddly about the two-thirds rule,” Ogden said. “They expect us to produce a budget that will meet their needs for the next two years and if we don’t, they’re going to fire us.”Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, said, “If there is an attempt to pass a budget document … by something less than that tradition of a two-thirds vote, what we are essentially doing is making a decision that we are going to change the whole nature of how things operate here.”

Said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio: “I cannot in good conscience consider a budget bill that cuts so much, yet leaves billions in the rainy day fund,”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, said GOP leaders were still talking with Democrats in the hope of winning more votes.

But Dewhurst emphasized that “our No. 1 duty in the Legislature pursuant to the Constitution is to pass a balanced budget. … At the end of the day, I will pass a budget, whether I’m standing on my head or whether I’m standing up straight.”

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***Why Democrats Don’t Back A Budget with no Rainy Day Funds

Democrats backed away from supporting Sen. Ogden’s budget plan after he decided not to use money from the ‘Rainy Day Fund’ to help secure program spending.

Instead, Ogden has decided to assume that revenue growth for the next two years will far exceed the Comptroller’s estimate and the extra funding generated by exceeding the Comptroller’s projection will be used to fund the extra spending in the Senate’s budget. If the extra money doesn’t materialize, they’ll use a supplemental budget in 2013 to bring the books into balance. Democrats aren’t happy with the new proposal, since it doesn’t guarantee funding for programs.

Still, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said that he’s open to working out a budget deal that would get Democratic votes, provided such a deal doesn’t dip into the Rainy Day Fund. When asked how he could provide Democrats with the assurances they desired that program funding would be secured without touching the fund, Dewhurst demurred.

***What Starts Here, Changes the World

Details continue to pour out of Washington about the successful US Special Forces raid that resulted in Osama Bin Laden’s death. Among the latest details, the man who commanded the unit that went into Pakistan to kill Bin Laden is a San Antonio native, who attended UT and graduated from the Journalism School. Something tells me he’s never going to have to buy a beer again in his life; the San Antonio Express-News’ Sig Christenson reports.

Sanchez, who was a key commander during the early days of the American occupation of Iraq, has a life story that would make him a compelling candidate for the race. However, military leaders have often struggled during campaigns due to their political inexperience. And, there is very little to indicate that the Democratic Party has begun to actively address its systemic problems; which include anemic fundraising, poor candidate recruitment and half-hazard voter engagement initiatives.

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***Zaffirini v. Powell — Round 53; And Aggies Agitate

The Express-News’ Melissa Ludwig reports that Senate Higher Education Committee Chairwoman Sen. Judith Zaffirini assailed a plan to increase the number of students who attend UT and simultaneously halve the cost of admission. It’s one of many long running battles between Powell and Zaffirini, the most public of which was the fight over Powell’s hiring of former UT System adviser Rick O’Donnell. Speaking of O’Donnell, the reforms his former boss Rick Sandefer helped to implement at A&M are drawing the ire of distinguished A&M alums now. The Houston Chronicle’s Patti Hart reports that 22 distinguished A&M alums have authored a letter to the University calling the changes “naive” and “damaging.”

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Segments below the fold today — The Clips, EXTRA!, and a cartoon by Nick Anderson

“As long as there isn’t an opportunity to strip the amendment, then both bills are dead in the Senate,” Zaffirini said, describing the situation as “legislative limbo.”

Wentworth said his efforts were nothing more than a bid to break the legislative logjam that has held up his bill in the Senate.

He has spent most of the session trying to get his “guns on campus” bill, which would allow Texans with concealed handgun licenses to bring their weapons into classrooms and dormitories at public universities, out of the Senate.

“This is what happens in May,” he said. “When people see their bills withering and dying, they find other ways to get them passed.”

“The legislature has clearly tried to cut off funding for these entities, only to have it restored by lawsuit,” Deuell said. “We do not want this to happen again … if abortion providers are able to sue and win — they have to win the suit — the program will cease to operate.”

The Demonstration Project for Women’s Health Care Services is designed to help poor, uninsured women receive health care, to include family planning services.

Ninety percent of the program is funded by the federal government, but Texas law forbids any state money from being spent on abortions. The Legislative Budget Board estimates the health program could result in a net savings of $83 million over the next two years for Texas.

Opponents said the poison-pill provision needlessly places the entire program in danger in order to attain an ideological goal of cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, which does not spend any state money on abortions.

The caucus is not asking the president to administratively change the law, said its chairman, Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio. But he said the caucus urged Obama to focus the country’s immigration enforcement assets on criminals, not students or workers.

“We do need to seek a legislative fix, but the reality right now is it would be very difficult with the huge majority the Republicans have in the House of Representatives,” Gonzalez said.

Over the past month, Obama has also met with Republican and Democratic mayors, including San Antonio’s Julián Castro, and Hispanic celebrities such as actress Eva Longoria.

The White House meetings come as Obama gears up for re-election next year. Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for him in 2008, and the group could be an important bloc in key states in 2012.

Money from the specialty plates would be used to promote adoption as an alternative to abortion and flow into a “choose life” account supervised by the state attorney general. The money only could be used to provide clothing, housing, prenatal care, food, utilities and transportation for pregnant women who are considering adoption.

The specialty plates would cost $30 more than standard license plates.

“We think Texans want the opportunity to do this,” Phillips said. “They want the opportunity to say that they choose life and promote adoption. And they go hand in hand.”

“My legislation keeps the DRT in a guardian role while establishing a framework for transparent, professional stewardship of the Alamo,” said Van de Putte, D-San Antonio.

Another bill passed last month by the Texas House would create a 10-member advisory board. But Van de Putte has said it doesn’t ensure quality care of the heavily visited shrine.

The issue could be sent to a conference committee if legislators can’t agree which is the better bill.

The legislative action follows questions raised about the DRT’s financial management, fundraising capability and structural care of the former mission. The group has been under investigation by the Texas attorney general’s office for nearly a year.

The 104-5 vote by the party’s executive committee came despite a desperate attempt by Ramos to call off the meeting.

Ramos, who has ignored calls for his resignation since March, didn’t attend or acknowledge the meeting and couldn’t be reached for comment. He previously called the removal effort invalid, since it was conducted under Roberts Rules of Order in the absence of any provisions in state or party rules to oust a wayward county chair.

Members leaped to their feet and cheered when they achieved a quorum sufficient to conduct the removal vote. None of the five members who cast nay votes spoke in Ramos’ defense. Some had concerns about the legality of the removal process.

– The New York Times reports that torture played a limited, if any, role in persuading Al-Qaida detainees to provide information about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

– The Minnesota Twins’ Francisco Liriano pitched a no-hitter against the White Sox. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants finally managed to rediscover this thing called offense in their victory over the Mets. The Astros pummeled the Reds (seriously) and the Rangers lost to the Mariners (surprisingly).

– Watch President Obama and Seth Meyers jokes from the White House Correspondents Dinner. Pay particular attention to the Trump react shots, they are amazing.